All that is dark | ✓

5| secrets

TO BE HONEST, HELENE didn't care if Nathan had a spy here. She never had started her job with a passion for law and justice, but just because it was expected of her to perform well. What other way was there except to get as many titles as possible in front of her name, each one sounding emptier than the last? She was a professor now as well, even if she had no love for teaching. Sometimes she wondered if she even had any likes at all or if everything she did was simply because this was who she was expected to be. It all didn't matter in the end. What did, however, was that there was no use to her telling anyone about the spy. Only chaos would follow, as everyone would start to accuse each other, until all the trust the guards had for each other in this prison would be gone.

That too, would only be one of Nathan's games. He had nothing to lose in her knowing of his spy and that was why he had told her. For some reason he had the upper hand, even while chained up to the table, everything about him making it clear that he knew there was no way for him to lose in any situation. She wasn't sure if that was only because he had planned everything out carefully or also because he didn't care about whichever outcome would follow, but either way, it meant she had to be even more careful than usual when reacting. One wrong move and this whole house of cards would crash down, leaving her as collateral damage in it's wake.

"I heard you asked for me," she said," does that mean you're ready to talk?"

"Are you changing the subject?" Nathan smiled," it's fine, you did well today, so I'll go along. Yes, I wanted to talk to you."

Dante scoffed at the absurdity of the praise, so loud that Nathan's gaze flicked towards him.

"We haven't been introduced yet," Nathan said," Dante, isn't it?"

"How do you know my name?" Dante frowned.

"Shouldn't I know who's guarding my precious psychiatrist?" Nathan smiled," if not for you, she could be in a lot of danger, so I hope you're doing your job right."

"Who are you to tell me how to do my job?" Dante snarled," how I take care of Helene is none of your business, you criminal, especially considering you are the biggest danger to her."

The situation was becoming dangerous very quickly, the curve of Nathan's canines sharp as he parted his lips, like he was able to tear Dante's throat out within a second. He had been polite until now to her, but that was only because she was a piece he had allowed in his game. Dante was someone he didn't care about and Helene had clearly seen what had happened to the people Nathan didn't like.

"You can wait outside, Dante," Helene said, not breaking eye contact with Nathan," I'll be right there."

"What?" Dante said, eyes wide in disbelief," why?"

Because it was safer to keep her in the eye of the storm than him. Because, if Nathan had a spy here, there was no telling what else he could do.

"I don't want my patient to feel threatened," she said," this is supposed to be a safe environment for him, criminal or not."

Dante stared at her as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, slowly shaking his head.

"To think that I was actually starting to believe you were the right person for this job," he said," whatever, fuck it. I'll wait outside, so you can go ahead and make this so very safe for the fucking criminal who took innocent lives."

With that he was out of the door, slamming it behind him so hard the walls almost shook. None of the guards had attempted to stop him or calm him down, which meant they did have more respect for Dante than they had for her. He had only been here for a week longer than her, but in that time he had already managed to be well-liked throughout the prison, even despite his temper. Probably because of it. Even before she was a psychiatrist Helene could easily see the way people compromised their morals for their own benefit, the way everything was good until it didn't help them anymore. Dante wasn't like that - there was such a clear righteousness in him that looking at him almost made you feel like a sinner.